Why Seoul Feels Like a City That Never Sleeps
Seoul has a pulse to it which you sense before you know it. It buzzes along the subway tunnels, flashes in the neon lights of Hongdae, and whispers through the vendors of the streets calling late in the night. It is not merely a metropolis which sleeps not, but it is one which sleeps not.
My initial evening in Seoul began with a move to have fast food. But "quick" doesn't exist here. I strolled into Myeongdong, where the atmosphere was full of popping and oozing as well as the aroma of tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes simmering in red sauce.
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People were like rivers of light, couples were laughing, friends were taking pictures, delivery scooters were going over crowds. I was lost in time having tried a dozen different street foods. It was 1 a.m., when I was finally able to look at my phone but even then, the city did not feel like it was time to go to bed.
The observation that appealed most to me was the fact that life does not stop once the night sets in Seoul, but it changes. Diners are up till dawn, packed with students studying iced-Americanos. Karaoke bars are lit with frosted glass doors, voices can be heard until late into the night. The rhythm in Itaewon is another variation, bars overflow with laughter, music flows through the streets, strangers drink soju and tell each other stories.
Seoul is a vibrating place even on a less hectic night. There are night cyclists, picnicking parties under bridges, and the laughter of people can be heard among the sound of water and cars. I recall sitting there once watching the city skyline glittering over the river and thinking how unusual it was to find any place so alive, as opposed to being merely busy, but alive and breathing with a living human heart.